Enjoy STK Around the Globe

This is sponsored content produced by WENDOH Brand Studio, the brand marketing unit of WENDOH Media.

While STK, The One Group steakhouse brand, has spent the past 10 years proliferating around the globe (after starting with its flagship New York City location), 2018 is shaping up to be its biggest year yet for worldwide expansion.

Following a December 2017 debut in Dubai, inside the Rixos Premium Dubai hotel, the restaurant will open four more outposts this year: another in the United Arab Emirates (in April at Dubai’s The Address Downtown hotel), as well as locations in San Diego, Mexico City and Guadalajara.

“Each city that we go to, usually we do a lot of research prior. But Dubai has been in the works for years,” says Celeste Fierro, senior vice president of The One Group. “A lot of our competitors are there. … It’s a good location for us.” Fierro believes the newly minted Dubai restaurant will be a big revenue generator for the company. “Nowadays, Dubai is a definite vacation spot for a lot of people,” she says.

The four upcoming new spots join more than 15 currently open STKs—based everywhere from Chicago and Los Angeles to London and Ibiza—including its Las Vegas branch inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“Let’s face it: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. We were always wanting to be there,” says Fierro on why the company decided to expand to the Entertainment Capital of the World. “The Cosmopolitan was going to be a unique brand. … We were excited to be one of the restaurants in there.”

Fierro cites the hotel’s focus on food and beverage as an attractive quality for opening up shop. “For us as a brand, we’re very focused on energy, vibe, having a good time. … So for us in Vegas, it was a home run.”

And just as STK enlivened the city’s dining scene when it premiered in 2010, it will bring the same kind of atmosphere to the four soon-to-be-unveiled spots.

“All STKs are similar. … It’s all centered around energy, around the bar, around drinking,” says Fierro, adding that locations are around 5,000 square feet and feature the same color palette and interior design elements. “We have a DJ in the middle of the room.” Loyal STK patrons traveling to Mexico City, San Diego, Dubai and Guadalajara can look forward to something familiar.

“It’s not the typical dark, brown steakhouse. We try to be a lot brighter, a lot lighter. Even our menu is different for that reason. We’re trying to go outside the box,” says Fierro, adding that 85 percent of the menus consists of core items, with the remainder catering to local tastes. For example, Latin flavors are prominent in Miami, Chicago’s offering has a more robust steak selection (think lots of dry-aged Tomahawks) and Los Angeles’ features more fresh and organic elements (which likely will also be found in San Diego).

Fierro says the company takes a similar approach to its event planning as its menu—core activations while sprinkling in some city flavor. Magnum Mondays, a popular night at the Las Vegas location, is also present at STKs around the country. And the annual Hamptons-inspired White Party is on the calendar at other locales as well.

So if you’re a Las Vegan headed to the UAE, traveling south of the border or vacationing in America’s Finest City, know that a familiar foodie spot with fabulous steaks and cocktails is something to consider. STK never disappoints.